Harry,
Its not the province that is backward, just many of the knuckle draggers in it. Some of us are quite progressive.

The First Minister seems quite quiet of late, I think he is scared that every question he is asked is a feint to a discussion about his wife.

As far as the DUP is concerned, any answer from them will come as a condemnation of the violence with the associated biblical quotes to make them look good to the church and provide justification for the acts.

I hope the two guys can get over this terrible ordeal and get out to continue to enjoy their lives. and that they get the support of their community to help them feel part of it.

Northern Ireland is the UKs Texas. Some sane people but too many guns, religious loons with too much power and about 40 years behind the sane bits of the country. The biggest difference is Texas is warm and has decent Mexican food.

Its not the province that is backward, just many of the knuckle draggers in it. Some of us are quite progressive.

I grew up in Belfast in Northern Ireland, in fact I used to run a LGBT club there.

Living in Northern Ireland is a good education about prejudice and how it functions. It is quite wrong to say that the whole of the province is prejudiced. What has happened is that religion has become very powerful owing to the unique political situation. That power manifests itself in many ways and informs people’s actions.

One of the reasons I find the British Conservative Party’s alliance with the Polish Law and Justice party in the European Parliament to be so reprehensible is that they are backing the same religious extremism in Poland as exists in Northern Irland. In Poland the same hideous crimes will be taking place against LGBT people and there is a very close connection between the actions of thugs on the street and the attitudes prevailing in the governance of a state.

I have no doubt that in Poland throughout the society it is very difficult for LGBT people to be out at work or to express their identity in any way. Imagine being a Polish LGBT school teacher for example?

When I see LGBT Conservatives whitewashing their party’s affiliations it makes me sick. Those LGBT Conservatives have huge personal freedom gained during the massive cultural change on this issue, a change driven by the Labour government and many social progressives in our society. The Conservative party is now exercising its power to prevent such positive change in Poland, so LGBT people who are vulnerable are placed at great risk.

In Northern Ireland we may recall that the Conservative party made a pact with the Ulster Unionists before the general election. This was with a view to securing perhaps a seat or two to count towards the Conservatives in the general election. The Ulster Unionist party is not the Democratic Unionist party, that is important to realise, but the Ulster Unionist party is a deeply homophobic party albeit with a few honorable exceptions.

From an LGBT perspective the promotion of the Ulster Unionist party by the Conservative party in the general election was certainly something which gave absolutely no consideration to the LGBT people in Northern Ireland.

So we need to stand back and look at the statements of Conservatives in the light of their activities.

Their assertion that they have any interest at all in tackling homophobia, either in the UK, in Northern Ireland, or in the European Union is totally false.

Their actions completely contradict the idea that the idea that they are working against homophobia.

Further to my points about the Conservative party’s activities in the European Parliament and in Northern Ireland I see that today David Cameron is meeting with the Polish presidential candidate Jaroslaw Kaczynski as reported in Left Foot Forward.

A few quotes from the article:

Kaczynski, along with many of Cameron’s far-Right European allies – described as “nutters, anti-Semites and homophobes” by Nick Clegg – has long been accused of extremism.

When prime minister of Poland, Kaczyński supported a bill banning discussion or promotion of homosexuality in schools, including in sex education.

Former Europe minister Denis MacShane describes Kaczynski’s premiership as “notorious for its hard-line anti-gay politics” which “collapsed over scandals about corruption and attempts to control the media”.

the fact that Derry is just up the road from me is very scary. as a 99% positive closted lesbian, stories like these make me want to stay in the closet and is truely scaring the crap out of me by going to gay pride in belfast this year for the first time ever.

these two men suffered so much and if this is happening on random days, what could happen to individuals celebrating gay pride on gay pride day.

many people cause so much hurt to homosexuals yet i still try to rack my brain in coming up wit one reason on how gays people being gay are actually hurting people, and yet still i cant find a reason.

Why shouldn’t Mr Brocklebank, writing primarily for a UK wide audience, show his affiliation to that country rather than to the tiresome Catholic republic across the border. Will you all please grow up, engage with each other about important things such as LGBT rights and perhaps even dare to have your children educated together :-)

Dave – I accept that there are many individual progressive poeple in NI. It is just a shame that none of them (save the new Alliance MP) seem to get elected to high office. I often smile when I think that the NI Unionist parties, which in principle I would normally support, are the ones which make the Catholics look progressive :-)

In Northern Ireland the scary fact is that the catholic church is on the ‘liberal’ side of the fence.

Some of the fundamentalist protestant churches (such as the Free Presbyterian church which controls the DUP) are so evangelical in their christianity that they are certifiably insane. This Free Presbyterian church is the church which the First Minister Peter Robinson and his teenager-loving wife Iris are members of.

@Harry “Why shouldn’t Mr Brocklebank, writing primarily for a UK wide audience, show his affiliation to that country rather than to the tiresome Catholic republic across the border.” – You think you will find the vast majority of Irish dont care about the Catholic church you inbred tw@t!, that comments comes across as labelling the whole country….

The Nationalist parties in NI support gay rights. Martin McGuiness from Sinn Fein, and the Deputy First Minister, has spoken several times in support of gay rights and the party itself is offically pro same-sex marriage. Mark Durkan, the MP for the Derry (Foyle) are from the SDLP party has spoken out against this attack. Some NI politicians are progressive and that goes for the people of NI as well. Don’t judge us all because of what the tw@ts in the DUP do or don’t do!

Harry:
> I commented:
>> PinkNews might do well to review
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derry/Londonderry_name_dispute
>>
>> Mr Brocklebank’s affiliation may be showing.
>
> Why shouldn’t Mr Brocklebank, writing primarily for a UK
> wide audience, show his affiliation to that country rather than
> to the tiresome Catholic republic across the border.

I was not referring to a national affiliation, but one to a particular fan club for an invisible supreme being. I cannot use any of the usual words because I found, by process of elimination, that PinkNews, by an automatic filter, refuses to publish any comment including any of the appropriate words, which makes things very difficult when there are crucial differences on LGBT matters between such groups.

I fail to see how supporting the overwhelming wish of the population of Derry, as expressed through their city council, on the name of the place, can be reasonably construed as opposing the UK. Given that they are all citizens of this country. Given too that courts have subsequently held that either name can be used. Indeed, insisting on the old, colonial name seems just unashamedly colonialist, and contrary to the better interests of the country as a whole.

Regina,
Please don’t be concerned about your safety on Belfast Pride day, the numbers of LGBT people about will ensure everyone’s safety. The PSNI will be there and they not only protect the people there, they are one of the main sponsors of the event itself.

This will be Belfast’s 20th annual Pride Parade, and it will be fantastic so come along and enjoy it.